Focus on Talents, Not Hobbies

Utilizing our talents and enjoying our hobbies are both invigorating activities, but with different motivations and outcomes.

Functioning within our talents is necessary for advancing our lives; and engaging in hobbies is like therapy that helps us to slow down and enjoy the smaller things of life.

For most, hobbies are enjoyable because it's not work. It's not mandatory. It's by choice and not for money (though some smart folks have learned how to make a decent buck doing their hobbies).

A few Sunday's ago, the first application point to my sermon on the parable of the talents was: focus your time, investments and energy within the realm of your talents, not hobbies.
 

We all want to light a fire!

Our attitude towards and hours spent doing our hobbies is greatly influenced by our satisfaction in our work. If a person despises his work and is doing something that has little relevance to his/her talents, there’s little to get excited over. Working 8 hours is, well, working 8 hours. I plug away because I need the job, because I need the money. And if I mindlessly plug away long enough, I habitually disengage from my work. It’s like the awkward conversation with someone you have nothing in common with--you’re always looking elsewhere and trying to find a way out.

When a person has an unhealthy attitude towards his work and is underutilizing his talents, he is more prone to have an overfixation on hobbies and spend an unhealthy amount of time in it.

We all want a fire burning inside. If it’s not coming from the work I do, it’s gotta come from somewhere else.

So, if you’re over-fixated on what you do after work, it’s likely because you’re under-utilized in your talents. The admonishment to “find what you love to do and make that your work” can get old, I know. But who knows, maybe you’ll discover that your hobby is actually your talent and find a way to make a living off of it. Or maybe you’ll find a way to utilize your talents in your existing context and discover a new world of enjoyment in the same place.

At life’s end, I want to accomplish more than being a master of my hobbies. I’ll trade in a single-digit golf handicap for a legacy of books I’ve written in a heartbeat. I don’t need to hold the high-score for Bejeweled or win a local pool tournament. But I do want to hone my teaching ability, lead the church, shepherd families (starting with my own) and write books. If I must choose, I choose the latter cluster. But, often, I find that if I’m giving myself to the things that are important, I still find time for the small pleasures of teeing it up and playing Clash Royale with my son.
 

Do I need to reassess?

If you end work with an overwhelming sense of liberation because you are finally free to do what you really want to do, it’s time to reassess what you do. Hobbies should not be pressure-release valves that keep us from imploding/exploding. They should serve to broaden life’s enjoyment, not be the sole source of it.

May you find greater depth of enjoyment and success in the work you do!